The beast here in chapter 11 is closely associated with “the bottomless pit” and the demonic force in league with Satan. The witnesses, these two that John sees, are killed by the beast, and their bodies—and this is a rather gruesome thought—lie unburied in the street of the great city that is figuratively, symbolically (the Revised Standard Version says “allegorically”; your translation may say “spiritually”; the better translation is “figuratively” or “symbolically”), called Sodom because it represents the wickedness of the ancient city of Sodom; the great city is also symbolically called Egypt because it held God’s people in bondage [verse 8: “And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nationswill see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves,” verses 8-9].

And this great city is the city where “our Lord was crucified.” Scholars differ whether there is any direct reference made here to the literal city of Jerusalem, or whether this is simply symbolic, like virtually everything else here, and that it is a reference to this worldly anti-Christian power, or domain. I think of it in the latter—this not being in the literal city of Jerusalem, but that it is symbolic of the anti-Christian world of this age or any age. When you think of these two witnesses, think “church,” as they are persecuted, as they are killed. As such, then, the unbelieving world rejoices over their martyred forms. [Verse 10: “And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.”]

For a period of three and a half days the two witnesses are left unburied. That’s a difficult figure to really relate to anything. Most of the writers that I read somehow equate this to the period of time that Christ was in the grave. I don’t quite see the connection between the unburied bodies and Christ in the grave, but nevertheless, we’ll just have to leave that one.

Again, what we see here in this portrayal, in this image, that John give us—if we look at it in the aggregate, we see an image of the children of God, the people of God, who are at once being protected by God, but are yet living in a world where the world is against them, where the world will persecute, where the world will torture, yea, even kill.

Now, that almost sounds contradictory. How is it that God, on the one hand, is protecting His people, but, on the other hand, the forces of evil are persecuting and killing? Well, again, we need to look at it in the broader scope, in the broader picture, of things. God protects His church. His church was established on the Day of Pentecost. The church will survive every attack that is made upon it. Whether those were attacks that had been made in the 1^st Century under such butchers as Emperor Nero and some emperors who followed him, or whether it’s through the Middle Ages, the Dark Ages—whatever period of time—right up until our day, when, even though things are more sophisticated, so to speak, the church is still under attack. But the church will survive, and the church will be delivered up to the heavenly Father in the last day. Along the way, there will be casualties. A poor analogy, but an analogy, nonetheless, might be a war that we’re familiar with—perhaps World War II. The Second World War had a beginning, and it had an end; and there was victory in the end. But along the way, there were casualties. There were many battles which were fought; some battles were lost; some battles were won; but overall, the war was a success. Along the way, there are many battles that the church has undergone, and will continue to undergo, but in the end the church is victorious. That is the symbolism that we see here.

The Two Witnesses Raised and Ascended to Heaven (verses 11-14)

“Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘Come up here.’ And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. 13 In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14 The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.”

These “witnesses,” as they are referred to, after being killed, after being allowed to lay there, exposed, unburied, and have the world celebrate their demise—exchange gifts, go by and laugh and so on—are reanimated. The breath of life, God’s breath, is back in them and they are elevated, then, in the clouds to the very throne of God [“Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘Come up here.’ And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them,” verses 11-12].

Does this depict, give an image, then, of the glorious, the victorious, church, that has been downtrodden and beaten and laughed at and spat upon by the people of this world all through the ages? But one day the church will be delivered to the Father, glorious and victorious.

There is mentioned here, as well, toward the end of this section that we read, that “In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven,” [verse 13]. That is…well…a bit of a troubling section there. Writers, scholars, are not really sure what that suggests, except that, again, the reference would seem to be to a symbolic city of Jerusalem and that along the way there are going to be casualties, which are going to be inflicted by God—the judgments of God, and so on, and that this will cause some, not all, not even the majority, but it will cause some to turn to God, to repent. Again, these will be victories, albeit minor victories, along the way for the church.

At the end of this section, there is that cryptic verse, verse 14 that says, “The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.” As we have seen, we have now covered two of those three “woes.” The third “woe” will be introduced as the seventh trumpet is sounded beginning in verse 15.